After being shot three times in the chest and left for dead by his last lover, Jake Duquesne decides the middle of nowhere is a good place to recuperate. And it's perfect, until someone tries to sneak up on him, gun drawn and cocked. Unfortunately for his would-be assailant, Jake is not one to wait around quietly while someone tries to kill him.

Waking up handcuffed to a strange bed is not part of Katarzyna Delaney's plans after being jilted at the altar for the third time. Looking at Jake, however, makes her realize plans should be flexible. With a few simple rules, she can have her long-awaited honeymoon--and without a battery-operated device.

Then people following no rules but their own join in.

"You don't remember what happened last night?"

Confusion swamped her features. "Last night?"

Jake lifted a sardonic brow. "When you were attempting to
enter this cabin," he reminded her dryly. Then, with emphasis, he added,
"Illegally."

The confusion didn't disappear.

"As in, without the owner's consent."

"But…" Her voice trailed off as realization dawned. "Oh
God." She squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a breath. "That can't be right."

He mentally crossed out amnesia and drawled very
sarcastically, "Oh, it's very right. I assure you, Katarzyna Delaney."

Her eyes flew open at his harsh, humorless tone, or maybe it
was his pronunciation of her name. KAHT-ah-ZHEE-nah. Perhaps she wasn't used to
people who didn't butcher her name on the first attempt. Luckily, he'd had
plenty of practice with non-Anglicized names. All part and parcel of his
previous job.

"My cabin has the bullet hole and the bullet from your
weapon to prove it." Even with the faint Southern accent softening his words,
they still had bite.

His captive looked as if she hoped the bed would open up and
put her out of her misery. "Your cabin?" Her lashes lowered as she bit
down on the corner of her lip. "That can't be right," she murmured, more to
herself than to him.

"A close friend," Katarzyna explained hurriedly. "She offered
me the use of her cabin for the next two weeks. Her husband is my lieutenant."

Jake stared at her. She looked earnest enough, but the
people in his world lied for a living. He dismissed the police ID--those could
be forged. And Ella knew he was here. She wouldn't have offered the cabin to
someone else without warning him first.

"Listen, you have to believe me. Please."

There was only one way to settle this. He crossed the room,
snatched the cell phone lying on top of the highboy, flipped it open and
powered it on. The reception wasn't great and he had to move to the window
before a single bar appeared in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. He
punched in ten digits and waited. The third ring was cut short.

"Hello?" a voice mumbled sleepily.

"Ella, it's Jake."

He heard sheets rustling and imagined Ella was pushing
herself into a sitting position.

"What's wrong?" his cousin demanded, all traces of
sleepiness gone from her voice.

"I'm at the cabin and I have an unexpected guest. She claims
you sent her."

Ella took the telephone away from her ear and murmured
something he couldn't make out. He assumed she was telling her husband to go
back to sleep. Then she sighed into the telephone, confirming his worst
suspicion. "Is she a tall, good-looking redhead?"

It was his turn to sigh. "Yes."

"Answers to Katarzyna Delaney?"

Another affirmative.

"Yes, I sent her."

He muttered an expletive, cast a hard look at the woman
handcuffed to his bed, who was unashamedly listening to his conversation, and
would've stalked from the room had he not been worried about the cellular
reception. He settled for turning his back on the bed and the woman bound to
it.

"You could've warned me."

"Yes, I could have," Ella agreed in a disconcertingly
reasonable tone, "if you hadn't shut off your cell phone. Sometimes you take
that whole loner thing too far. It's not healthy. Ted Kaczynski was a loner."

A low growl rumbled from his chest.

Ella blew out a breath. "You can get mad at me and yell at
me all you want, but don't take your temper out on Katarzyna. She's been
through enough." When the growl didn't cease, she added, "She needed to get
away for a bit, so I offered her the cabin."

"While I'm still here," he pointed out between gritted
teeth.

"So?" she drawled, using that careless tone of voice that
always set off warning bells in his head. After a beat, she said, "She's
attractive. You're available."

He was glad his interfering cousin wasn't in the same room
because he might've strangled her. Then her husband would've arrested him. It
wasn't worth the hassle.

Still, his voice lowered dangerously, as much to keep his
captive from listening in as from temper. "Are you setting me up?"

"Dear God in heaven, no! She's sworn off relationships with
men, so you're safe. Besides, I don't think anything permanent would work with
you." She paused. "I was thinking more along the lines of a fling."

"Rules of Engagement...is a fast paced novella, the pages are smokin' with the searing heat between Jake and Katarzyna. I enjoyed the characters and Ann Bruce's style is smooth, the plot well thought out and believable. I highly recommend this book but be prepared to get more than a little hot under the collar before you're done!"— Simply Romance Reviews, A (Read entire review)

"Scorching hot doesn’t begin to describe Rules of Engagement! Action packed from the first moment, this story pulled me into its grip and didn’t let go. Alpha Jake is magnetically sexy, always knowing what to do to set Katarzyna, and the reader, on fire. His sensual demands of Katarzyna are so heated they could melt butter and Katarzyna’s reactions to Jake are so visceral, it was fairly palpable. Ann Bruce has written a fast-paced story, full of breathless, intense, mind-melting sex and suspense that’ll have you gasping and begging for more long after this brief story’s over."— Fallen Angel Reviews, 5 (Read entire review)

"Plenty of amusing banters [sic] and hot sex... I'm not too sure that I buy the fact that the characters feel more than lust for each other since they have hooked up for only a short time by the end of the story, but I'm glad they've had fun in the process. I've had fun reading this story too.
"Rules Of Engagement may be a walk down a familiar path...but it's nonetheless an entertaining one. "— Mrs, Giggles, 81 (Read entire review)

I can't sum up AZ's review, so you just have to click on the link.— AztecLady, 8 (Read entire review)

"Jake and Katarzyna have a hot chemistry that instantly pulls them together. Ms. Bruce has given us a hero to die for in Jake. She also crafted the most exciting climatic scene that this reviewer has read in a long time. A book that cannot be put down once opened, the reader will be on the edge of their seat. Pull up a cold drink and a fan and be mesmerized."— Coffee Time Romance, 4 (Read entire review)

"The storyline isn't new, similar plots can be seen on TV and in books everywhere, but the characters and the intenseness of their relationship more than makes up for this. The heat rating scales the roof and I'd suggest you keep either a nice cold pool, shower, or ready for action partner close to hand when you read this little tale."— Manic Readers, 4 (Read entire review)

"Rules of Engagement is a sumptuous feast for the senses, brimming with colorful characters and sexual delights. Jake Duquesne is the delectable hero trying to retire from his dark past, and Katarzyna Delaney is the gorgeous cop who unwittingly stumbles along his path and disturbs his peace. Though their relationship development is a bit barren, their carnal intimacy is highly invigorating. Katarzyna is a spunky and enjoyable heroine, a nice complement to Jake's coolly temperamental disposition. The pace of their steamy affair moves along lyrically, if just a bit fast--but this keeps the pages flying. Their aggressive chemistry will definitely capture and engage the readers in many imaginative ways... With Rules of Engagement, Bruce has done a wonderful job of crafting a sexy, pleasurable read--deliciously short and sweet, like any enjoyable dessert."— Night Owl Romance, 4 (Read entire review)

"Bruce's hero and heroine are likable, but the secondary characters appear only briefly. The sex is plentiful."— Romantic Times BOOK Reviews, (Read entire review)